Author: Badalian Vardan

THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO MEET IN LUXEMBURG ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALBANDIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER MAMMADYAROV

ARMENPRESS
Oct 26, 2009

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS: The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
(Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian Federation; Ambassador
Bernard Fassier, France; Ambassador Robert Bradtke, United States)
will travel to Luxembourg October 25-27 to meet Armenian Foreign
Minister Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Mammadyarov.

An official from the OSCE Office told Armenpress that they will
address plans for their next trip to Baku and Yerevan in November and
preparation for discussion of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement at the
OSCE Ministerial Council in December 2009.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan left today for Luxemburg
to participate in the 10th session of Armenia-EU cooperation council.

A TWO-DAY CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO THE ISSUES OF THE CAPITAL WILL BE HELD IN THE YEREVAN HISTORY MUSEUM NOVEMBER 4-6

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS: A two-day conference dedicated to

ARMENPRESS
Oct 27, 2009

the issues of the capital will be held in the Yerevan History Museum
November 4-6.

Director of the museum Armine Sargsyan told Armenpress that officials
of the Archeological and Ethnographical Institute of the Armenian
Academy of Sciences, Yerevan State University, officials of Yerevan
museums will take part in the event.

Materials of the conference have been collected and soon will be
presented for publication. A. Sargsyan said that such materials have
been presented which not only refer to the current issues of Yerevan
but also the not revealed pages of the capital’s history. Twenty
five reports are intended on economic, urban building, education and
tourism spheres.

Conference on Yerevan issues is organized in Yerevan for the second
time, the first one has been conducted in 2006.

Before the conference the History Museum is planning to organize
November 3 a photo-exhibition.

COURT DELAYS HEARINGS OVER GULYAN’S CASE

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2009 19:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In an October 23 hearing presided over by Justice:
Gayane Karakhanyan, the General Jurisdiction Court of Kentron and
Nork Marash districts decided to postpone hearings over deceased
witness Gulyan’s case considering the absence of special investigator
Gabriel Petrosyan. Justice said that General Prosecutor’s Office
had received notice on Gabrielyan’s being unhealthy and receiving
in-patient treatment.

Justice Karakhanyan rescheduled court hearing for November 4. Hrayr
Gulyan, father of the deceased, told journalists that the notice
contained no information on investigator’s diagnosis and the hospital
he was in. Gulyan’s lawyer stressed he would insist on Petrosyan’s
presence since he had questions concerning the subject matter of
the case.

He further noted that as a result of expert examination. the victim was
found to have received bodily damages before his death. Lawyer also
noted that during interrogation policemen had denied the existence
of such damages at the time of taking Gulyan to police station. "So
bodily damages must have been inflicted on victim after entering the
building," said the lawyer.

Levon Gulyan died on May 12, 2007 when being interrogated by police
as a witness. The circumstances of his death are unknown. Criminal
investigation into the matter was twice suspended by inquest bodies.

DEVINE LITURGY ON THE TENTH YEAR OF OCTOBER 27 VICTIMS TO BE HELD OCTOBER 25 IN MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

ARMENPRESS
Oct 23, 2009

ETCHMIADZIN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: The Devine Liturgy on the tenth
year of the victims of October 27, 1999 will wrap up October 25 in
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, chaired by Catholicos of All Armenians
Karekin II, press service of Mother See told Armenpress.

DAVUTOGLU MEETS AZERBAIJANI LEADERS AFTER FLAG TENSION

Today’s Zaman
Oct 23 2009
Turkey

Ahmet Davutoglu (L) met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on
Thursday in Baku.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had talks on Thursday in Baku
with both Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Azerbaijani
counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov, due to tensions between the regional
allies, which escalated upon the delivery of a diplomatic note of
protest to Azerbaijani officials because of their decision to remove
a Turkish flag in front of an embassy building in Baku.

The occasion of Davutoglu’s visit to Baku was a foreign ministerial
meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) hosted by Azerbaijan. There was a positive environment during
the one-hour meeting between Davutoglu and Mammadyarov, diplomatic
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Anatolia news
agency, as they noted that all issues between the two countries have
dealt with "a broad perspective."

Protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey for re-establishing their
ties and reopening their joint border, the removal of Turkish flags
around a monument to 1,130 Turkish soldiers who died while fighting for
Azerbaijan’s independence in 1918 and recent developments regarding
efforts by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has been working for a decade
and a half to mediate the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia
and Azerbaijan, were discussed during the meeting between the two
foreign ministers, the same diplomatic sources told Anatolia.

The meetings between Davutoglu and Azerbaijani leaders "passed in the
way they should pass between officials of the two brotherly countries,"
the sources said, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, Anatolia also reported that Ambassador Unal Ceviköz, the
deputy undersecretary for the Caucasus and Central Asia, is in Vienna
attending a meeting of the Minsk Group that will be held today. As of
Thursday, Ceviköz had already started talks with his counterparts,
the agency said, without providing further detail.

Earlier this week, Ankara protested Azerbaijan’s removal of Turkish
flags at a cemetery and outside some Turkish missions in apparent
retaliation to a ban that prevented Turkish fans from waving Azeri
flags during a World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia
earlier this month.

Armenian Side Refuses To Discuss The Karabakh Issue With Azerbaijani MPs

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.10.2009 20:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Karabakh issue was not discussed at the meeting
between Armenian and Azerbaijani MPs, Vahan Hovhannisyan , head of
the ARF parliamentary faction told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to him, the Armenian side refused to discuss this issue
without the participation of the Karabakh side. "The meeting was
very constructive. Mostly humanitarian issues have been discussed, as
well as the possibility of cooperation in various sectors: health and
culture, inter-parliamentary collaboration, " Vahan Hovhannisyan said.

According to him, Armenia and Azerbaijan are two sovereign states,
having besides the Karabakh conflict, many problems to be solved.

"Azerbaijan has always insisted that as long as the Karabakh conflict
is not resolved, there will be no dialogue between the countries,
but we stick to the opposite view," Vahan Hovhannisyan said, adding
that the parties will be able to get rid of the artificially created
image of the enemy through dialogue.

VTB BANK (ARMENIA) AND AMERIABANK JOINTLY DEVELOP PAYMENT CARDS

ARKA
OCTOBER 22, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 22. / ARKA /. CJSC VTB Bank (Armenia) and CJSC
Ameriabank continue to expand cooperation in the joint operation of
POS-terminals in the trade and customer service points.

Since the end of September 2009 a new agreement on cooperation between
the two banks came into effect.

This creates the real prerequisites for the increase in the items of
trade and services, equipped with the latest technology, providing
additional comfort and the possibility of large sections of the
population territory of Armenia, the press service of CJSC Bank VTB
(Armenia) and CJSC Ameriabank.

"Under this agreement Ameriabank will use the services of VTB Bank’s
processing center in Armenia, in particular, for the acquiring of
payment cards," the press release stated.

Bank VTB (Armenia) (Armsavingsbank before June 20 2006) joined the
VTB Group in April 2004. Currently the bank VTB is the full owner of
Bank VTB (Armenia) closed joint stock company.

By the end of March 2009, the bank’s assets had totaled 105.8bln
Drams (7% increase against Q4 2008), credit portfolio – 74.2bln
Drams (5% increase), total liabilities – 81.9bln Drams (9% increase),
liabilities to clients – 33.3bln Drams, total capital – 23.9bln Drams,
authorized stock – 13.9bln Drams; net losses were 136mln Drams in
January-March 2009.

Ameriabankwas established in July 1992 on the basis of the Armenian
branch of the USSR Vnesheconombank. On September 8, 1992, the Central
Bank of Armenia issued a license to the bank.

TDA Holdings Limited, affiliate of the Russian Troika Dialog Investment
Company, became the bank’s principal shareholder (96.15%) in August
2007. In May 2008 the bank was renamed Ameriabank.

Armenian Stock Exchange awarded a status of market-maker of the bonds
of IMEX Group to Ameriabank on November 3 2008.

The bank’s assets grew by 65.1% up to 80.9bln Drams in the first
quarter of 2009, which is a 3.8-time increase as compared with the
same period of last year.

The bank’s liabilities were 60.4bln Drams in the first quarter of 2009
and total capital was 20.51bln Drams. Authorized stock totaled 18.2bln
Drams by the end of the first quarter. The bank’s credit investments
were 32.8bln Drams in the period with liabilities to clients totaling
53.8bln Drams.

Net profit after taxes amounted to 113.6mln Drams in January-March
2009 – an increase of 110.2% as compared with 54mln Drams in the
beginning of the year.

OKTAY VURAL: "TURKISH NATIONAL INTERESTS CAN NOT BE REALIZED AT THE EXPENSE OF BLOW ON AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS"

APA
Oct 21 2009
Azerbaijan

Ankara – APA. "Who told us about the opening of Turkish-Armenian
borders, Turkish prime minister or foreign minister? No, American
president Barack Obama told us about that on April 6 in his address to
the Turkish parliament. Why we should know it not from our president,
but from the president of foreign country? How you can explain it?"

said leader of MHP faction at the parliament Oktay Vural during the
submission of the Turkish-Armenian protocols to the parliament by
foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu. He said Turkey’s foreign policy
toward Armenia collapsed. "What is difference between the document you
signed with Armenia on April 2 and this one? Why you did not make it
public? The foreign minister says the normalization of relations with
Armenia is within the Turkey’s national interests. Turkish national
interests can not be realized at the expense of blow on Azerbaijan’s
interests".

Oktay Vural said the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers made
statements contradictory to each other. "AKP government said the
borders could be opened after the long process. Armenian foreign
minister said in a press conference in Yerevan that they reached
agreement on the opening of borders with Turkey. Whom we have
to believe? Everyone should understand that no any thought not
expressing the nation’s will can be accepted. The protocols must be
with the Turkish national interests and decisions earlier passed by
the parliament. Let the foreign minister to say what article of the
protocol contains the national interests".

Oktay Vural mentioned that MHP was always shown as a side impeding
the normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations.

"I ask the states that witnessed the signing of the protocols:
Who impedes this process? Hasn’t Armenian state declared a part of
Turkey’s lands as western Armenia? Isn’t there an emblem of Agridag
on the flag hung out on the plane that landed in Bursa? Who occupied
Azerbaijani territories Turkey, or Armenia? Didn’t Armenia commit
crime against mankind in Khojaly and displace one million people?

Doesn’t the policy pursued under the pretext of normalizing the
relations with the country that committed these crimes mean to share
these crimes? Will our nation allow it? Show me a country that will
shake hands with the country having territorial claims against your
state and occupying the lands of your neighbor. Our president, who said
"we are writing a history", did it in Bursa," he said.

Oktay Vural mentioned the position of the then Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul (incumbent president) on the relations with Armenia
in 2005.

"The then Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Armenia violated
the norms of the international law, occupied the territories of the
neighboring state and no diplomatic relations could be established
with that country. What has changed, Mr. President?" he said.

Oktay Vural said that MHP will protest against the establishment of
the diplomatic relations with Armenia unless it withdraws its troops
from Azerbaijani territories and gives up its territorial claims
against Turkey.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 21, 2009
Contact: Michael A. Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

SENATOR WYLAND ADDRESSES ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF SAN DIEGO ON IMPORTANCE
OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

La Jolla, CA – California State Senator Mark Wyland (R-38) addressed an
audience of Armenian-American students at the University of California,
San Diego (UCSD) at the invitation of UCSD Armenian Students’
Association (ASA) and the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
Wyland spoke about the significance of grassroots activism in reference
to California Senate Bill (SB) 234, commonly referred as the "Genocide
Awareness Act," as well as his support of educational initiatives aimed
to teach high school students on the importance of history as a tool to
prevent genocide.

"I really enjoyed speaking to this group of Armenian university students
and discussing the importance of students learning about all aspects of
world history, including genocide education, and such a study must
include the Armenian Genocide," stated Senator Wyland, adding, "I
especially appreciate the efforts and involvement of these students in
civics and our democracy."

The Assembly, an early proponent of the measure authored by Senator Mark
Wyland, activated its ARAMAC grassroots network in California to
encourage support and passage of the bill. The bill requires the
California Curriculum Commission to vote on the inclusion of an oral
history component related to genocides as part of its high school
curriculum, including the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.

The Assembly, during the August district work period, met with Senator
Wyland to commend him for his initiative in keeping California at the
forefront of national politics as it pertains to human rights education
and genocide prevention. During the meeting, Senator Wyland expressed
interest in speaking to the Armenian youth throughout San Diego County
after hearing about their involvement in organizing the annual April
24th Genocide Commemorative Committee in San Diego County and in
advocating for passage of SB 234.

The hour-long discussion took place during the ASA’s first annual
meeting of the school year with over 80 students in attendance. Students
displayed a keen interest in learning about Senator Wyland’s interest in
genocide-related issues and in better understanding the politics in
Sacramento.

"On behalf of our executive team, I would like to thank Senator Wyland
for making time to speak to our group, the UCSD ASA," stated Nare
Avagyan, ASA President. "I am pleased with the number of people that
showed up, as well as the level of interest from the students. We hope
to be more involved in the community."

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2009-074

MERGER OF OPPOSITION IS "RATHER ILLUSORY"

Aysor
Oct 20 2009
Armenia

"What is Armenia’s opposition, its ways of development and cooperation
– these items are relevant not only today, but they will be relevant
for a long time," believes Larisa Alaverdyan, secretary of the
Heritage Party.

"We are happy, as we are living witnesses and beholders of dynamic
happenings not only inside the country, but also abroad," she said.

Dividing Armenian opposition into two parties Mrs. Alaverdyan said
that Armenian National Congress formed around political and social
issues, that is, it was item of power replacement.

According to Larisa Alaverdyan, of new-format opposition formed
on different platform, where the forces agree that despite the
political or other developments initiated by authorities, the process
of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations may influence not only
our historic desire or issues of multimillion Diaspora’s Armenians, but
it may also influence situation and developments inside the country.

These two parts of opposition, Mrs. Alaverdyan says, are represented
by only several figures or political forces, and in this sense,
the future merger of these parts formed around different issues is
"rather illusory".